Crystal Palace hold on as Leicester cause stir

Crystal Palace 3 Leicester City 2

Crystal Palace could have gone out of business this summer – but where there’s life there’s hope.

Even so, Leicester had them looking over their shoulders when they came from three first-half goals down to ensure a nail-biting finish.

Palace looked to be coasting, three goals up within 41 minutes, giving new manager George Burley something to smile about.

Burley has instilled the kind of beliefs at Palace which he had drummed into him as a player – and manager – at Ipswich.

Dark days at Hearts and then as Scotland manager have not changed his views on how he wants the game to be played.

If Palace listen to him, then the good days could return.

But they need more bite in their tackles and better defending.

This was an opening to the season Palace fans could only dream about.

When they left the ground last season, they worried if they had witnessed the last game at Selhurst Park.

Yesterday the banners were out and new Palace owners strode on to the pitch to accept applause for saving the club.

And Burley’s Palace played with quality.

They moved the ball around on the deck and took the lead in the 19th minute, when a long punt from Palace keeper Julian Speroni caught Leicester’s central defenders flat-footed, and Wilfred Zaha cleverly looped the ball over Chris Weale.

Burley said: “I was very impressed with Zaha. He’s quick, sharp and a good prospect. He has a chance, but it’s too early to say yet how far he will go.”

Seven minutes later Palace added another when Darren Ambrose moved onto Kieron Cadogan’s square pass to rifle in from 20 yards.

Leicester, also with a new manager in former Swansea boss Paulo Sousa, tried to play the kind of soccer fans like.

But they didn’t have Palace’s cutting edge where it mattered – until Palace drifted off to sleep.

While Sousa was at Swansea they had one of the worst scoring records in the division.

The failing showed again as easy chances where constantly squandered until Leicester’s late burst.

Palace finished their first-half spree in the 41st minute when Alan Lee turned in a loose ball after Zaha’s shot had been blocked.

But Speroni produced a superb flying save to deny Lloyd Dyer on the stroke of half-time and Dyer then hit the bar before Andy King pulled one back a minute later for Leicester in the 57th minute, following Robbie Neilson’s cross.

Leicester made a tremendous fist of the second half, forcing Speroni to make several decent saves.

Ambrose had a shot superbly saved on 80 minutes but Palace found themselves hanging on when DJ Campbell took advantage of Claude Davis’ defensive howler – allowing the ball to bounce over his head – to stroke home after 84 minutes.

Sousa said: “We gave away silly goals, but then we showed our anger and hunger. But time just ran out for us.”